Hemosans
Hemosans “Loyalty begets strength. Strength begets ability. Ability begets passion. Passion rests at the feet of greatness.” ''-Hemosan chronicles, Archon Leofric de Bois Noir'' Inhabitants of the feudal northern mountain region, the Hemosan resettlement followed their migration after the landfall on the new continent. Originally known as the “people of fire,” they also followed Dural until Hemos was revealed by a great ritual involving the sacrifice of 3,000 cultists.Their mass suicide stopped the plague on the old continent and birthed the god of the sun. Their sacrifice, along with the northerner’s martial prowess, allowed the various surviving lords to keep their titles and power all the way to the new continent. The Hemosans consider their lands as a culmination of destiny, a true and vibrant empire kept alive by the energetic passion of their people. Roughly half of the soldiers in the ASH Legions are Hemosan. Many participate in some manner of militia training after weekly religious services. Originally of a different enslaved group of humans than their Duralian cohorts, Hemosans are built for a more hostile environment. Hemosans are tall, blue eyed, and often fair-haired. Hemosan culture Hemosans value loyalty and passion above all else: Contentiously, the definitions and prudence of these values vary with the ever changing political situations. Hemosans are temperamental but devoted. At first glance they seem oddly archaic and superstitious; Hemosans pride themselves on being good friends to the outsiders that make an effort to adapt to their standards of conduct. Peasants are traditionally not bothered with the many feuds that crop up as the kingdoms fear any retribution or rebuke from their neighbors. Though guided by codes of chivalry and Autocratic writs banning outright slavery, abuses are not unheard of and their lord’s armies are often heavily made up of drafted commoners. The difficult iron-bearing hills of the northern kingdoms mean that requests of hospitality are seen as a duty. The exception to this is when Hemosan lords are forced to make a request to a peasant. A lord must beg for entry on one knee, showing humility and highlighting the foolishness of their situation: A king is just a beggar if they have no shelter. Internal wars between petty kingdoms are not interfered with by the ASH in return for an immediate stop to the hostility in times of crisis as well as acknowledgement of the Autocrat’s nominal position as head of state. These wars are mandated by their scripture, warmth requires friction. Fighting between noble houses is generally over rich provinces to take control of resources and a tax base. As the destruction degrades a region the battles then focus on other, richer areas. The poorest are considered liabilities and mostly left alone. This ASH relies on lords to collect taxes from provinces, taking a cut of profit instead of taking on additional overhead from having to further expand bureaucracy. Central government interference is not unheard of, but mostly limited to ensuring the lords are paying what they owe. Every great house knows the central government's thumb on the balance of power will destroy the balance of power in favor of loyalist houses. A More Violent Time The northern kingdoms are never quiet. However, the previously well ordered battles between the nobility now take on a much more destructive tempo. With ASH central leadership distracted, the more opportunistic lords can finally use the methods they had learned in the full scale wars of the Frontiers. Cursed are used as weapons in conjunction with standard armies to completely annihilate the more traditional lords in the field. The ‘noble’s agreement’ has been breached. In response, peasants are now used as frontline soldiery in progressively larger numbers. Battles that were once up to 300 or so noble born warriors over small fiefs are quickly becoming gruesome affairs involving 1,000s of low born peasants contending with the worst types of magics. Needing to abide by the law of the ASH was always contingent on mutual support. While the north is overall the most militarily powerful, their lack of unity and huge cultural divides with the other two nations prevent any real threat from forming to the stability of the Autocracy. The Hemosan War Machine Large numbers of well-drilled peasant formations with elite and hardened knights make the followers of the sun one of the premier fighting forces of the ASH. Knights are both representatives of a group of Hemosans and trained warriors. Small villages may have one while cities organize themselves into having one per 100 people, their role is supposedly to serve the people under them as a sort of informal representative and martial defender. Depending on the region, a knight may have a hereditary, appointed, or even democratically elected position. The Hemosan’s disorganized provincial nature prevents them from being the most powerful single faction within the human Autocracy.